October 11, 2006

A Previously Unimaged Crater

Maybe it has been imaged before - as the center of attention, not in a broad field of view - but I’ve never seen the photo. La Perouse is one of a relatively large number of limb craters that are not often observed and are even harder to identify. La Perouse is limbward of Langrenus in a seldom seen area. At 77 km in diameter it is typical complex crater with terraces, central peak and relatively flat foor. It is a larger version of Kapteyn, another rarely identified crater at bottom left. La Perouse is a fairly fresh crater - although it does have a later impact on its floor - but the Clementine high Sun view shows it has no ray system and thus is probably more than a billion years old. Damian’s oblique look from Earth nicely shows the slumped terraces and a significant scarp at the top of the eastern wall. This is probably another steep place on the Moon.